


Letters To No One

by HngXS



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Byleth panics a lot internally, F/M, based off of a novel, everyone makes an appearance - Freeform, no beta we die like Glenn, past Claude/Edelgard, past Dimitri/Marianne, will add more tags as they come
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:40:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22676539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HngXS/pseuds/HngXS
Summary: Byleth never really knew how to express herself. So she wrote down her feelings, placed them into an envelope, and sealed them up. One day, however, she finds that her four, very private letters have gone missing and ended up in the hands of the three people she didn't want knowing.Or: Byleth writes four love letters and three guys find out.Based off of the novel,To All the Boys I've Loved Before.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd & My Unit | Byleth, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 14
Kudos: 32





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> In celebration to _P.S. I Still Love You_ coming out on Netflix, here is this story I've been working on for a while!

_Two Years Ago_

To the outsider, Byleth was not a very sentimental person. Her eyes were always blank, her mouth set to a firm line as she would look on, almost bored. There were very few people that knew Byleth’s true caring, patient nature.

One of them was her little sister, Marianne, who always confided in Byleth with everything. The young girl adored her older sister and her loyalty was never ending. In return, Byleth always made time and room for Marianne, a feat that Jeralt, their father, was always proud to see.

The other was their neighbor and the boy that Byleth loved: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. Despite being a year apart, Dimitri always followed Byleth like a shadow, hovering over her and listening to her very carefully. Everything he did, he always asked Byleth for her opinion. He was with Byleth so much that his father, Lambert, always joked that Dimitri was working on multiple ways to propose to her from the various tea parties they always had together, causing Byleth to display her rare blushes. However, that was not the case. Because Dimitri was dating Marianne.

When Marianne confided in her sister (as she always did), that she harbored a crush on the boy next door, Byleth simply gave her younger sister a gentle smile before she advised her sister to be honest with herself and do what seemed right. At her younger sister’s beautiful, gentle smile, Byleth could only not heed to her own words as she watched the young girl give a shaky breath before nodding enthusiastically.

That night, Byleth pulled out a pen and a piece of paper, and began to write.

> _To Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd,_
> 
> _I don’t think I could ever recall a time that you weren’t around. You were always there for me, through my first crush, my first kiss… In fact, I think you were the first person I’ve ever had a tea party with. I don’t know when it happened, but at some point, I fell in love with you._
> 
> _This is probably going against all my teachings and lectures about doing what makes you happiest, but I just can’t put my love for your above Marianne’s. This letter is being written so I can get all of my feelings out for you so I can help her practice confessing to you. Marianne’s happiness is everything to me._
> 
> _And so, Dimka, this will be the last day that I love you, but know that I will always be there for you. I wish you and Marianne happiness._
> 
> _Byleth Eisner_

The young girl folded up the letter, slipped it into an envelope, wrote the addressee on it, before placing it in one of her old shoeboxes. She slipped it under her desk before going over to Marianne’s room.

_Present Day_

Byleth looked at herself one last time in the mirror, taking in her appearance. It would be the last year that she would be wearing this uniform. She adjusted her glasses, brushing off some of the white fur their cat, Ranulf, left behind on her skirt.

A small _mreow_ caught her attention and she bent down, picking up the white and strangely, blue, cat. “Good morning, Ranulf,” she said, carrying him as she walked down the stairs. The cat meowed in response and she gave a small chuckle.

He hopped out of her arms when she arrived into the dining room, meowing enthusiastically at her family.

Marianne gave a gentle smile when the cat rubbed herself against her clothed leg. Unlike Byleth, who chose to wear her silver and black uniform with exposed legs, Marianne preferred the more conservative darker, winter uniform. “Hello, Ranulf.”

Byleth greeted her family members, who returned her greeting as Jeralt set down a plate of breakfast in front of her. “I’m donating the items to the Church today. Did you two finish?” he asked, looking at his daughters.

Byleth placed some eggs into her mouth before responding, “Yeah. It’s in a box next to my desk.”

“Mine is right by my nightstand,” Marianne replied gently, stroking their cat’s fur.

There was a knock on the door at that moment. “Come in!” Jeralt called, knowing who it was.

Byleth vaguely heard the door open before she heard the shuffling of three footsteps. Wait, three? She glanced up, seeing Dimitri standing there with his step-sister and step-cousin. Dimitri nodded politely. “Good morning, Jeralt.” Edelgard and Lysithea gave their own hellos.

“Morning Dimitri, Edelgard, Lysithea,” Jeralt nodded his head. “You joining them today?” He looked at Edelgard.

Lysithea crossed her arms. “She broke up with Claude again.” Someone wasn’t happy to be in the middle seat. Edelgard tossed her younger sister a look but said nothing else.

“When did that happen?” Jeralt asked, looking at the older of the snow-haired girls.

Edelgard responded coolly, “Three weeks ago.”

“Do you want me to get your plate, Big Sister?” Marianne asked gently, looking at Byleth, who had finished her food.

“Oh, thank you, Marianne,” Byleth smiled and Marianne returned it easily, grabbing the plate and taking it to the sink. Byleth followed her sister and asked quietly, “Do you want me to sit in the front?”

“You’re closer friends with him,” Marianne pointed out. At Byleth’s frown, Marianne smiled. “Don’t worry. We didn’t break up on bad terms.”

Byleth nodded her head slowly. Her sister and best friend had broken up just a week ago before their junior year. Byleth didn’t know why and Marianne didn’t want to tell her, so she didn’t push. She trusted her sister to share when the time came.

Byleth placed a hand on Marianne’s shoulder and squeezed gently before heading over to the Blaiddyds. Well, only Dimitri had that last name as Edelgard kept her mother’s and Lysithea was Edelgard’s cousin, so she had a separate surname. But they were the Blaiddyds in Byleth’s head.

“Shotgun,” she called, slinging her backpack over her shoulder, heading towards the door. “Bye, Dad.”

“Bye, kids. Have a good day at school!”

“Ah, Byleth! Wait, I have to unlock the doors!” Dimitri jogged after Byleth and she heard the familiar beeping of the doors unlocking. Dimitri jogged past Byleth, opening the door for her.

Byleth gave a small smile up to the boy. She furrowed her brows. “Did you grow _again_? I just saw you last week.”

Dimitri scratched his cheek sheepishly, cheeks a light pink as his azure eyes looked down at her. “Just half a centimeter,” he admitted. Byleth reached forward, messing up his hair briefly. Despite his displeasure, he smiled slightly. He fixed his hair as Byleth climbed into his car.

Lysithea held her tongue as she watched her adoptive cousin with his ex’s sister and simply climbed into the car, with Marianne behind. “Are you okay with that?” she whispered quietly, to the bluenette.

The quiet girl looked at the younger one and gave an honest smile. “Yes,” she replied simply and even an idiot could see Marianne was nothing but sincere. Lysithea nodded, sitting back in her seat as her cousin climbed in next to her.

“Excited for senior year, Byleth?” Dimitri inquired as he started the car.

Byleth gave a small smile. “I suppose so,” she responded.

“Have you decided which college you want to go to? What are you majoring in?” Lysithea asked. Byleth looked into the rearview mirror to see her quite intrigued.

“I think somewhere locally,” Byleth answered truthfully. “Garreg Mach _is_ an elevator system, after all. They’re a reputable school. I think I’ll major in education.”

“You always were a good teacher,” Edelgard complimented and the other three in the car nodded in agreement. Byleth was famous in their school for being a great tutor. Even Lysithea, a proud girl who usually didn’t accept help, would come to Byleth for answers. “It will be nice having you around still. I’d miss you if you went too far.”

Byleth angled her head slightly and smiled at the girl, who was sitting behind Dimitri. “I’d miss you guys too much, too.” Byleth was always way too dedicated to her family and friends and honestly, she was lucky that the city-state they lived in, Fódlan, was able to provide such great education and opportunities all on its own.

“How about you, Lysithea? Excited for freshman year?”

“I suppose so,” the young girl answered truthfully. “It’s just another four years of school, is it not?”

“Then that’s like saying it for me, too."

“Yes, but yours is different, Professor,” Lysithea called Byleth her nickname that some students affectionately called her. “You’ll be going to school so you can focus on a future job.”

“I suppose so,” Byleth responded. She didn’t say much after that, choosing to listen to the four younger ones talk amongst themselves. Occasionally, she’d give a small smile or a nod, agreeing with them.

Dimitri pulled into the lot of the high school division of Garreg Mach, quickly finding a spot. Garreg Mach was so huge that it allowed Dimitri to find a parking spot near the archery range and soccer field. Byleth got out of the car, giving a heavy sigh.

“I’ll see you guys later,” Byleth said, looking at the four. “I promised I’d meet up with Mercie and Hilda.” The younger students nodded their heads and she watched as Dimitri slung his soccer bag over his shoulder so she figured he had practice today. She wondered if she should watch soccer practice today after school since he was her ride. She _could_ also ask Mercedes…

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and Byleth moved out of the way, just as an arrow came flying where she was.

Her eyes landed on the arrow, which was right where she was standing just a split second ago.

 _"Eeeek! I'm sorry, Professor!"_ Bernadetta, a junior, looked like she was about to start crying. Byleth’s brows furrowed.

Claude von Riegan was right behind her and once his look of concern was gone, he turned to Bernadetta, trying to appease her. Byleth took the arrow off the ground and walked over to the archery team members, handing Bernadetta the arrow, who bowed and apologized profusely.

“A bird swooped down a bit too close and spooked her,” Claude explained. “You alright, Teach?”

Claude, like many other students in the high school division of Garreg Mach, had been tutored by Byleth sometime in the past. However, instead of addressing her as “Professor” like most, he chose to call her “Teach.” She never really questioned why Claude called her that, figuring that the junior just wanted to be different from the others.

Byleth nodded. “It’s all right, Bernadetta. I wasn’t hurt.”

“But you could’ve been!”

“I-it’s all right, Bernadetta,” Ashe said, coming up to her. “Professor said she’s fine.” The sophomore gave Byleth a small smile, which she returned.

“I insist.”

“W-well… if you say so…” She looked weary, but said nothing else. It was hard to believe, but she was the second-best archer in their team. She would have been vice-captain, if it weren’t for the fact that she was so stressed. So instead, Ashe, a sophomore, was chosen as he was hoping to prove himself and Claude had liked his spunk.

Speaking of Claude, she turned to the captain of the archery team, watching as he consoled Bernadetta. He was getting pretty good at this, but it also made sense, considering they had known each other since they were kids, being in the same grade and all.

It was common for students at Garreg Mach to be childhood friends.

The city-state of Fódlan was huge, but they only had one school: Garreg Mach. There was the elementary division in the Adrestrian District in the east. The middle school division was in the Faerghus District in the north. The high school division was in the Leicester District in the east. The college was located at the center of the three districts, known as the famous Garreg Mach University.

Byleth lived in the Faerghus District on Fhirdiad Street next to Dimitri. Edelgard originally lived on Enbarr Street with her father in the Adrestrian District, but then moved with her mother after she remarried. Lysithea, prior to her parents’ death, lived in the Leicester District on Gloucester Road. Marianne was also originally from the Leicester District. She was from Edmund Avenue, until it was discovered that her father abused her so she was taken away by social services. Jeralt, who worked for the government, adopted Marianne at the young age of eight.

It might seem strange to people that everyone goes to school at least twelve years together, but to them, it felt like it was a very large family. Of course, that meant _everyone_ knew _everyone_ to an extent. Most end up moving away to the other nearby city-states, but for the most part, they were happy where they were.

Fódlan was ruled by not one, but three heads: one from each district.

They were united through the Hresvelgs from the Adrestrian District (known as “the Empire”), the Blaiddyds from the Faerghus District (known as “the Kingdom”), and the Riegans from the Leicester District (known as “the Alliance”). It was a tradition as old as time, tracing back to the beginnings of Fódlan almost two thousand years ago.

The current heirs were actually all one year below Byleth: Edelgard von Hresvelg, Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, and Claude von Riegan.

It might have seemed antiquated to use such a system to rule, but if it wasn’t broken, then it shouldn’t bother to be fixed. From what Byleth had heard, a country in the west wasn’t doing so great with their own form of government. But she was never fully involved in politics to actually know, anyway. In fact, Dimitri and Edelgard often explained to her how things were run due to their private lessons in politics.

Byleth bade the three younger students farewell and good luck, before heading into the school. Once there, she gave a heavy sigh before going over to her locker, which was the same as it had been the past three years.

“Good morning, Byleth,” a soft, kind voice greeted her from behind.

Byleth closed the door and gave a small smile to her best friend. “Hi, Mercie. How was Morfis?”

Mercedes smiled at the mention of the vacation she had spent in the city-state just south of Fódlan. “Oh, it was wonderful. Quite warm, though.” Fódlan was definitely colder than the more tropical Morfis, that was for sure. Well, at least Faerghus was, since it was closer to the mountains.

Byleth nodded, closing her locker before she began to walk with Mercedes. Luckily, they shared all their classes together except for one. Mercedes was taking home economics as her elective while Byleth had opted for a second period of study hall, where she could either tutor other students or study independently.

Her third class of the day was her first study hall. She shared it with her fellow seniors, Mercedes and Hilda.

She chose to go to the library today, like most who had study hall the first day.

When she entered the library, Lysithea, who was sitting at one of the desks with Cyril, perked up. She gave a small nod to Byleth, who returned the nod and walked over to them, sitting down with Mercedes and Hilda.

“Big cousin,” a voice called, causing Byleth to turn her head to look.

Flayn gave a large smile, quickly walking over to where Byleth was sitting. She sat in-between Byleth and Lysithea, who scooted over for her classmate to sit down.

“How are you enjoying your first day, Flayn?” Byleth inquired, cocking her head to the side as she propped her left hand underneath her chin.

Flayn clapped eagerly. “It’s been so much fun. High school isn’t as scary as I thought it’d be.”

Lysithea glanced thoughtfully at Flayn, before replying, “That’s probably because your father is one of the scariest teachers here.”

Flayn frowned at the mention of her over-protective father. “I suppose that is true, is it not?” Byleth thought about her uncle Seteth from her mother’s side and agreed that he was definitely very strict and very intimidating.

“Oh, thank goodness you guys have study hall now,” a voice drawled. The table turned to see who was approaching them and Dorothea threw her hair over her shoulder as Linhardt plopped into the seat beside Cyril, lying his head onto his arms immediately.

“Oh, hello, Dorothea,” Mercedes greeted kindly while the others gave their own salutations. The senior sat down next to the now-sleeping sophomore.

“Professor,” Lysithea said, showing the dark blue-haired girl a book. “Do you think you can explain to me how this formula is used?”

“Oh,” Dorothea looked at the complicated equation over Byleth’s shoulder. “Are you in Algebra II?”

“Algebra II/Trig,” Lysithea correctly simply, causing Dorothea’s eyebrows to shoot up.

“That’s impressive, Lysithea,” Dorothea complimented. “You’ll be in the same math level next year as I am as a senior.”

“Yes,” Lysithea nodded. “I have plans to be taking Pre-Calculus by next year. I have plans to take Calculus BC and AP Statistics my senior year.”

“The only other person I know crazy enough to do that is Byleth,” Hilda sighed heavily. “I’m fine with Pre-Calc in senior year.” Dorothea nodded in agreement.

“I’m only taking regular Statistics,” Byleth informed. “It’s the only one they offered online.”

“You really love school, don’t you?” Linhardt angled his head to look at the older girl. He yawned, shifting his head into a more comfortable position.

Byleth gave a small smile. “I enjoy tutoring you all,” she said truthfully. The group she was sitting with gave Byleth bright smiles in return. The girl then leaned forward, showing Lysithea how to properly use the formula.

So far, senior year was off to a great start.


	2. Dear Claude von Riegan,

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude confronts Byleth over a very interesting letter.

“So Marianne got another bird yesterday,” Byleth informed as she jogged next to Mercedes and Hilda during gym class. “She named him Tibarn.”

“How does Ranulf feel about that?” Mercedes gave a light chuckle as she did her best to keep up with Byleth. Noticing the slightly older girl was having a tougher time, Byleth slowed her pace, to which the blonde gave a small thankful smile.

“Y’know, I think he’s used it by now,” was the response. With Tibarn, Marianne was now the proud owner of four birds, which were very gentle and quite friendly once they warmed up to someone. They were still freaked out by the idea of living with a cat, but upon seeing that the cat did not attack them, choosing to ignore them instead, they were getting slightly bolder.

“You have a weird cat,” Hilda said bluntly, to which Byleth shrugged. Ranulf was quite protective of the family, but he never displayed any predator-like tendencies, hence their ability to have birds.

Mercedes hummed gently in response before going, “Is Claude von Riegan looking at us? He’s been watching us for some time now.”

“Huh?”

Byleth glanced from her path, eyes wandering over to where the juniors were also having gym. They were currently doing archery, as she noticed Claude had on an armguard and brace on his right hand with his left hand holding a bow that she recognized was his personal one.

“I wonder what the captain of the archery team is doing, looking at us,” Mercedes contemplated with a look even Byleth couldn’t decipher.

Byleth’s purple-blue eyes met bright green, which sparkled with something. What was with her? Why couldn’t she read anybody today?

As she got closer to the juniors, she noticed that Claude was the only one that was done with their exercise, which made sense. He stood up straighter as they got closer before he met them halfway. “Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.

“Uh, sure,” Hilda said, looking at her best friend with a quirked eyebrow.

Claude shook his head. “No. I meant Byleth.” Mercedes and Byleth exchanged looks of shock as Hilda propped her hands on her hips. “Aw, c’mon, Hils. I swear I’m not up to anything bad.”

“You haven’t talked to Byleth in a while,” Hilda pointed out. Byleth was curious as to why Claude wanted to talk to her, too. The last time they talked was when Byleth had to tutor Claude in the history of the Crescent Moon War last year before yesterday. She wondered why he sought her out, though, considering he seemed like he knew what he was learning and actually aced the test.

"Untrue. I spoke to her yesterday when Bernadetta almost impaled her with an arrow." The brunet shrugged. “Look, I just want to talk to her in private for a bit.”

Before Hilda could protest, Mercedes grabbed the pinkette’s arm. “Aw, that’s alright, Claude. I’ll keep Hilda company. You just make sure to return Professor back to us in one piece.”

Claude gave a wink at the older girl. “No promises.” Hilda sputtered something unintelligible as Mercedes dragged her away, leaving Byleth and Claude on the track before they moved out of the way.

Byleth always wondered about Hilda and Claude's dynamic. Hilda had grown up with Claude and they were actually best friends, despite Hilda being with Byleth quite often these past couple years. The blunette was well aware that Hilda went over to Claude's house practically everyday.

Claude leaned forward and Byleth blinked. “Just so you know,” he started in a low voice, “there’s nothing wrong with appreciating a bit of poetry.”

Byleth stared blankly at him. “What?”

“Also I’d totally let you have the last bite of cake… occasionally,” he finished his statement with a teasing wink.

“What are you talking about, Claude?” Byleth gave a small sigh, crossing her arms. He was as cryptic as ever.

“I’m talking about your letter, Teach,” he said, pulling something out from his pocket and he watched as Byleth’s face blanched as it remained completely stoic as all emotion drifted from her eyes. He watched carefully, seeing her recognize the letter, which was torn open and in her familiar writing at the front, reading: _Claude von Riegan_.

He could see the wheels turning in her head, despite the lack of expression on her face. There was a reason Byleth almost always won bluffing games.

It was silent for a split second before she said, “... You weren’t supposed to ever see that. How did you get that?”

Seeing the bit of horror on her face that broke her usually calm facade, he felt a bit of sympathy for the girl. “It came in the mail yesterday,” he explained. He ran his hand through his hair. “Listen, it’s not a big deal. I just hope that-”

“The mail? At your house?”

“Yeah. Where else would I get mail? C’mon, Teach.” He couldn’t resist teasing her, watching as her cheeks flush ever the slightest.

Byleth didn’t know what to say as she clenched and unclenched her fist nervously. The evidence was right there. Claude was great at calling out bullshit anyway. “I wrote that a long time ago,” she said blankly.

“Okay,” Claude said simply.

“Like, years ago. Almost five years ago, during middle school. I don’t even remember what I wrote in it. Can I see it?”

She reached forward to grab it, but Claude let out a small laugh, holding it up out of her reach. “Nah, I want to keep it. I’ve never gotten a letter like this before.”

Byleth narrowed her eyes. She had asked nicely.

In a flash, she jumped up, snatching it out of his hand. Claude’s eyes widened in shock at her sudden movement, taking a step back. He then let out a laugh, throwing his hands up in surrender. “All right, all right. Just don’t hurt me,” he joked.

“Thanks,” Byleth murmured, looking at the slightly-crumpled envelope in her hands. The name _Claude von Riegan_ glared back at her, mocking her.

She moved to walk away, but Claude’s voice stopped her. “Teach, wait.” He hesitated for a split second before stating, “I didn’t mean to steal your first kiss or whatever.”

Byleth gave a small smile and Claude frowned at how fake it looked. “Apology accepted,” she muttered before darting off.

He contemplated what to do for a second before a voice made his decision. “ _Boy_!” Judith, the archery team’s instructor, his gym teacher, and his mother’s best friend, called out, causing him to wince. “Now’s not the time to go flirting!”

Claude gave a small sigh and jogged back to where the juniors were waiting, all finally done with emptying their quivers. He saw the numerous arrows that were on the floor not even close to the targets.

His eyes met a pair of curious bright blue ones and he quirked his eyebrow at the boy questioningly. Dimitri’s cheeks went slightly pink before he looked down. Edelgard looked at him with inquisitive purple eyes, but said nothing before turning to her step-brother, catching his attention. He shook his head and Claude wondered what they were talking about.

Meanwhile, Byleth sat in the girls’ locker room on one of the benches. She glared at the letter like it offended her before she opened it, trying to remember the contents inside. She grew slightly pale at how long the letter was and blamed it on her younger, dreamer self.

> _Dear Claude von Riegan,_
> 
> _Did you know that when you kissed me, I would love you? Sometimes, I feel like you did. You always knew way more than you let on. I was really surprised that you knew I actually wanted the melon bread even though both Dimitri and Edelgard believed me when I said I didn’t mind the curry bread so they could have it._
> 
> _You’re charming, funny, smart, and athletic. What’s there to not love? But I should be telling myself I don’t love you anymore, so I’m going to list qualities I think are not cute._
> 
> _For one, you tease people way too much. Sometimes, it gets to be much. Marianne is scared to interact with you because she thinks you’ll accidentally end up hurting her feelings and then you’ll feel bad and then she’ll feel bad for making you feel bad. Don’t worry my precious sister like that._
> 
> _You like romantic poetry. Okay, I guess this isn’t really a negative thing, but I’m trying here. Your poetry recitations are kind of over the top and that, I think, is embarassing. You really have no shame._
> 
> _You seem like the type that if we dated, you take the last bite of cake because that’s who you are. You enjoy teasing everybody and I’m sure I’d be so sick of you teasing me._
> 
> _You’re too good at everything. Is there anything you’re bad at? Even Lysithea likes you and she hardly likes anyone!_
> 
> _You also kissed me for no reason. Even though I knew you liked El and you knew you liked El. Hell, even Edelgard knew you liked her! What the hell? But you still did it. Because you could. Why did you do that? That was my first kiss that I was saving for someone special._
> 
> _The stupid thing is that my heart went all pitter-patter and it actually almost hurt. I hate the fact that I started to like you after that. I also hated that you started dating Edelgard shortly after that. Sure, you guys lasted only two weeks the first time, but you guys always ended up coming back to each other. It’s been two years and you guys - while on and off - are still going decently well._
> 
> _El’s told me she dates you because you’re the best looking guy in your grade. And it’s true. Hell, by the time I’m a senior in high school, you, a junior, would still be the best looking guy in our school._
> 
> _Maybe that’s why you kissed me. So I would look at you like that. Should twelve-year-olds really be thinking about stuff like that? Really. I’m now fourteen and I’m still so confused. I suppose this is a puppy love that’ll fade away with time. I don’t know, it’s my first time loving someone._
> 
> _I guess since I ripped you apart I should tell you what I actually like about you. I haven’t been really saying nice things to you._
> 
> _One thing I love about you is your wit. I love your little quips and how you can make people laugh. I guess that’s the reason why everyone loves you - including me._
> 
> _Another is how well you read others. You seem to know me a lot. Almost as much as Dimka or Marianne. Maybe even more, if I was completely honest._
> 
> _You’re kinda short. I know, this might seem like an insult, but I kinda like it. Dimka’s getting a bit too tall and it kinda hurts to look up at him. Let’s not even get started on Dedue and Raphael._
> 
> _After you kissed me, I loved you all through middle school. I’m now in high school, and I think I should be getting rid of my stupid little crush. Hence, this letter._
> 
> _It’s so irritating to see you with Edelgard. And I don’t want to think about El so negatively. She’s my friend, but I can’t help it. Now that I’m in high school, I’m going to look forward and see if there’s a guy here that will make me feel special, like the way you make Edelgard feel special._
> 
> _Byleth Eisner_

“That’s one hell of a letter,” Hilda’s voice suddenly appeared behind her. Byleth jumped. Normally she was able to detect others’ presences quite well. How the hell did she sneak up on her?

Mercedes giggled beside her. “Yes, indeed.”

Hilda looked thoughtful. “Y’know, I went over to Claude’s yesterday and he was reading something and then hid it really fast when I arrived. I guess this was it.”

“So what’s all this about? A love letter to Claude von Riegan?” Mercedes cocked a brow at Byleth.

The slightly younger girl flushed a bit before shoving the letter in her bag before pulling off her shirt to change.

 _This was false. I'm going to go home and find the letters under my desk, safe in their box._ Byleth thoughtlessly put on her regular uniform before Hilda's well-manicured hand appeared in front of her face, snapping incessantly.

" _Byleth!_ " Hilda exclaimed. "We've been calling your name! You okay?"

"I'm fine," Byleth murmured, looking at her two friends. "I'm gonna go home. I'm not feeling so hot."

Byleth presumed the teachers would understand if she skipped her last period. Byleth's past records showed no ill intentions and she trusted Mercedes to come up with a good excuse.

Dimitri had given her a ride this morning, so Byleth took the forty-five minute walk home on foot. It gave her time to clear her thoughts and wonder just _how the hell_ Claude got that letter.

* * *

“Claude!” The brunet snapped out of his thoughts, turning to his math partner. Hilda’s pink eyes looked at him knowingly. “You good?”

“Yeah,” Claude grinned, twirling his pencil in-between his fingers. “Which number were we assigned to do?”

“Sixteen,” Hilda reported and the two looked down at their respective books, looking at the problem.

_If y = x³ln(x), Find dy/dx._

She let out a small groan. “I fucking hate derivatives…”

“Careful, Hilda,” Claude said with a teasing grin. “What’ll happen if Dear, Big Brother Holst heard you saying that?”

The pinkette shot a light glare at Claude. “Probably the same reaction he’d have if he found out you had a love letter from Byleth.” She watched with great pleasure as Claude’s eyes widened a fraction before he glanced around the room, but everyone was busy working on their own assigned question.

“How’d you- Did Byleth tell you anything?”

Hilda smiled, twirling a stray lock in-between her fingers. “Do the problem and I’ll let you know.”

Claude shot the personification of sloth a small look before sighing in defeat. It was an easy question. He quickly wrote down _3x²ln(x) + x²_ before turning to Hilda. “Tell me.”

Hilda gave a smirk and said simply, “I read over her shoulder. She ran off to the locker rooms like she wanted to puke. Well, I mean, she looked normal, but y’know that look she has on her face, when her eyes are almost desperate with that crease between her brows?”

When he didn’t respond, Hilda continued, “When did you kiss Byleth? Was it before or after Edelgard?”

Claude passed a look to the pinkette. The bell rang and Claude gave a small smile. “Guess I’ll have to tell you later.”

Hilda narrowed her eyes, her small hand reaching out, grasping Claude’s wrist firmly. “You’ll tell me _today_. Byleth’s hurt and I want to know what the hell you did to hurt her.”

Claude’s body froze and he thought about the way Byleth quickly walked away. He remembered seeing the way her lips were pursed and even though he didn’t react earlier, he knew exactly what Hilda was talking about. Hell, Hilda probably didn’t know that when Byleth was sad, the right corner of her lips would twitch as her body fought to express the frown. Byleth might have seemed like an emotional person to most, but to Claude, she had her emotions on her sleeve even more than the Faerghus Prince.

With the way her pink eyes burned, Claude sighed mentally, knowing his best friend wasn’t going to let him leave. Not when another one of her best friends was hurt.

“Did you drive today?”

“Mercie gave me a ride.”

Claude thought about Byleth’s other best friend and looked at Hilda warily. “Is she coming, too?” Mercedes was the sweetest angel, but beneath that smile, Claude was positive the church girl would murder anyone that hurt her friends.

Hilda looked at Claude sympathetically as they walked out of the classroom. While Byleth was her friend, she grew up next-door to Claude and knew he probably had a reason for it all. He never acted without thinking carefully of his actions. He was known for his schemes, after all. “Most likely.”

A flash of blue caught Claude’s attention before he looked up to meet the gentle, concerned eyes of Dimitri. “Have you seen Byleth? She’s not here and she isn’t responding to my texts.”

“She went home already,” Hilda explained and Dimitri frowned, looking down at his phone. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’s fine.”

Dimitri scratched his head nervously before Edelgard approached him with Lysithea in tow. The three dismissed themselves and Claude shoved his books into his locker as the petite girl next to him did the same.

“So is Claude going to tell us everything?” a gentle, saccharine, feminine voice that sent shivers down Claude’s spine. He turned and spotted Mercedes, who was smiling softly at Claude with steely violet eyes.

Claude gave a small smile, regaining his center and threw his arms behind his head. “Mercedes, lookin’ divine as always,” he said lightly. “Would you perhaps like to join Hilda and me at Tea Time?”

Mercedes’s smile got gentler. “I would love to.”

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on Twitter [@FangirlBaecy](http://twitter.com/FangirlBaecy).


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